Why a feminist film festival?
We dream of an inclusive world
We want a more open, more inclusive and safer society for all people regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, financial status etc.
We believe in the power of education
We want to educate the public about concepts like feminism and raise awareness about gender-based violence and gender equality.
We want a bold project
We want to talk about feminism in a country where this word still brings with itself fear, stigma, stereotypes.
We have continued and wish to continue organizing this festival because we want to explore the issues faced by both women and men in patriarchal societies through a selection of films that address topics such as human rights, equality & gender-based violence, migration, gender roles, identity and intersectionality.
How was the MANIFEST edition?
The first day of the festival started with a moment of feminist manifesto, where we had with us Ionela Băluță, professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Bucharest, one representative from the Embassy of Canada in Romania, Andrada Cilibiu, human rights activist, FILIA Center, and Cătălin Teniță, deputy in the Romanian Parliament.
The evening continued with the screening of the film Immaculate, directed by Monica Stan, and ended with a Q&A session with Cezar Grumăzescu and Ana Dumitrașcu, actors in the main roles.
You can see some moments from the first evening of the MANIFEST edition here.
On the second evening, we listened to Frica în sân, from Teatru Improbabil, we explored films with feminist themes, we listened to stories with directors, from here and from other parts of the world, we laughed and we were glad to see people coming to the Friday night screenings.
You can see the short story of the second day here.
On Saturday we met again at feminist films, where we explored screenings about the experiences of queer people, we continued to listen to the stories from the exhibition brought to the festival by Identity.Education, we had Q&A sessions, we spent the afternoon talking about stereotypes and gender roles in the Make it double panel, where we were joined by Arthur Chays, director from France, Carmen Gheorghe, E-Romnja, Patrick Brăila, trans activist, ACCEPT, Lia Suderman, director, in a discussion moderated by Cătălin Georgescu, and we continued with film screenings. At the end of the evening, we had the girls from F-Sides Cineclub on stage, who told us about the beautiful things they do.
You can see here how it was on the third day.
With quick steps, we reached the last day of the festival, after we laughed together, even cried together at some films, we asked ourselves why we face so many problems, we searched and found some answers.
On the last day, we had screenings about body and sexuality, Q&A sessions with film crews, a debate about the representation of women in politics attended by Oana Țoiu, Petre Florin Manole, Mihaela Ștefan and Ciprian Ciucu, in a discussion moderated by Teodora Munteanu, the short films about gender violence and the closing ceremony.
Come and see how it was last night, here.
Which films won in the second edition?
This year it was a difficult decision regarding the awarding of prizes, the jury consisting of Ruxandra Ghițescu, Ioana Bugarin and Andra Tarara told us: “It was difficult because very important topics were addressed, and the films, speeches and stylistic approaches have were qualitative”.
The award for the best foreign short film was awarded to “PERFORMANCE 54”, directed by Alimohammad Eghbaldar, “For the originality and playful spirit with which it brings into discussion universal themes of patriarchal societies and gender roles, and for exposing specific issues, and because it provides a framework for the representation of marginalized voices,” adds the jury.
The first special mention went to “INVISIBLE HANDS”, directed by Lia Sudermann and Simon Nagy, who were in Bucharest with us throughout the festival, “For the way in which it debates, without drawing conclusions, the discussion around domestic work and the difficulties of escaping from it. You can’t go on strike at home!”, explains the jury.
And the second special mention went to the film “THINGS THAT DON’T DIE”, directed by Manuela Gutierrez, who was also with us in Bucharest, “For the courage to address honestly and candor a contemporary issue, and for making the film in a personal way.
How was and how will the Bucharest Feminist Film Festival continue?
During the two editions, the cinema hall of the Europa Cinema gathered more than 1000 people, 61 films from all corners of the globe and more than 50 public figures from the spheres of film direction, creative arts, activism, public administration and the university environment.
The two editions so far have shown us even more the need for young people to take part in such events, where we can continue to talk about gender equality, feminism, migration, violence, gender roles & stereotypes.
We want to open this dialogue to as many people as possible and come together because we want to live in a fairer, more equal, more inclusive world.
We want to do this festival together. Let’s get involved together, build together with different actors, and have as many opportunities as possible to meet and talk about the common values that brought us here.
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The second edition of the Bucharest Feminist Film Festival became possible thanks to the support of the Canadian Embassy, the Bucharest Community Foundation & Bucharest Swimathon, the Spanish Embassy, the French Embassy and the French Cultural Institute and the Austrian Cultural Forum and thanks to those who supported us with donations.
Main media partner: Radio Guerilla
Media partners: IQ Ads, Igloo, Munteanu recommends, Private Education, Film Menu, Movienews, Spotmedia.ro, Days and Nights, Zeppelin Magazine, AIVImedia.hub and LitFem
And because any successful event must be accompanied by good wine, we want to thank Domenii Sâmburești for helping us make a cocktail party for the opening of this edition possible. We also thank Aqua Carpatica and FruFru for helping us take care of our volunteers.
